On December 3, 1984, thousands of people in Bhopal, India, were gassed to death after a catastrophic chemical leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant.
According to the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, more than 27 tons of methyl isocyanate and other deadly gases “turned the city into a gas chamber.” The official government death toll to date stands at over 20,000, and by some estimates an average at least one person dies each day in Bhopal from injuries received that night or from the water that was contaminated by the incident. In addition, there are 150,000 people who are chronically ill, of whom 50,000 are too sick to work.
Bhopal was not solely a disaster, but also a corporate crime.
None of the six safety systems at the plant were functional: Union Carbide’s documents indicate that the company designed the plant with “unproven” and “untested” technology, and then cut corners on safety in order to save money. After the disaster, Union Carbide’s lawyers devised a plan to delay all legal proceedings in order to pressure the Indian government into accepting a low settlement. Not until 1989 was a settlement reached between Union Carbide and the Indian Government, and that was made without the consultation with the survivors. The victims were awarded an average of $500 in compensation (totaling $470 million), falling far below international compensation standards. In all, the disaster on December 3rd earned the status given to it by Amnesty International of “the world’s worst-ever industrial disaster.”
Dow Chemical acquired Union Carbide’s liabilities when it purchased the company in 2001, but it still refuses to address its liabilities in Bhopal today. In reaction to the deficiencies of the 1989 settlement, as well as Dow Chemical’s refusal to address its liabilities from Dec. 3rd, non-government organizations, individuals, and student groups have mobilized in order to raise awareness about Bhopal and to ensure that another such disaster never occurs again.
We for Bhopal (WFB), a student initiative at the Hindu College of Delhi University, supports student activism, publishes informative magazines, networks with other student groups, and meets with political representatives to gain justice in the face of corporate crime and industrial pollution.
Seventeen years after the 1989 settlement, the student group is demanding:
~ Clean-up of the contaminated site,
~ Free hospital treatment for victims of the gas or related water contamination, and for their children,
~ Water pipelines to transport drinking water to affected communities,
~ A toxicological report by the Indian Council of Medical Research, and
~ A trial of responsible Union Carbide officials.
In 2004, Global Greengrants Fund granted WFB $2,300. The grant enabled 14 students to visit Bhopal in order to examine the site and compile facts for a documentary project. The outcome of their investigation is a 24-minute film titled Closer to Reality, which portrays the message that “Bhopal can happen anywhere until and unless we become aware citizens.” Greengrants funds were also used to organize awareness-building workshops and launch a WFB webpage with the goal of increasing student involvement in the Bhopal student group. Finally, in November 2004 the students organized a “We for Bhopal Rock Concert” in Delhi designed to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, to increase awareness across generations, and to raise funds for survivor groups. On an international level, all of these projects are intended to influence government agencies to take action on pending issues related to Bhopal, and on issues of justice and corporate accountability in general.
In 2005, Global Greengrants continued its involvement with WFB and granted the group $4,000. The grant helped WFB arrange a formal screening of the Closer to Reality documentary and release the investigative report on October 26, 2005 at Hindu College. In addition, the grant helped finance the promotion and distribution of the film to other colleges, government officials, and the public in general. The funds helped cover travel costs to various conventions and fairs where WFB screened the film and shared information on the issue.
Subsequent WFB activities have included:
~ A dance drama titled “Children of the Fog — The Bhopal Gas Tragedy,” at the National School of Drama, and a photograph exhibition there. (March, 2006)
~ A “street play” competition, entitled “The Voice of People’s Struggle”, in which eight teams from different colleges participated. (October, 2006)
~ A student action in front of the Dow Chemical office in NOIDA Department, Utter Pradesh. (December, 2006.)
Many others continue to fight for justice
The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) is a coalition of public interest organizations and individuals that have joined forces to campaign for justice for survivors of the Bhopal disaster. Their work includes pressuring the government to bring those responsible to trial, ensuring the cleanup of the contaminated factory, and ensuring appropriate distribution of compensation funds to the survivors. In 2006, Global Greengrants gave $4,328 to ICJB to support a march from Bhopal to Delhi in order to pressure the government to act on all pending issues related to Bhopal. The march, titled 21 Years is Enough: March to Delhi for Justice and a Life with Dignity, began on February 20, 2006 and involved 150-200 survivors and supporters walking about 30 kilometers per day for 40 days. Global Greengrants funds were used to support the marchers with medical and emergency supplies, food, communication, a support truck, and 200 pairs of shoes. The motivation for the march is the thousands of survivors of the 1984 gas disaster who continue to be poisoned by toxic chemicals left behind by Union Carbide and those left disabled with little or no compensation.
The marchers arrived in Delhi with the following demands: supply safe drinking water through Kolar Pipeline to communities affected by contamination from Union Carbide, set up a national commission on Bhopal that ensures long-term health monitoring, research, care and rehabilitation for the survivors for 30 years, ensure Dow Chemical’s liability for on-site cleanup and payment of compensation for damage to health and property, set up a prosecution task force in the Central Bureau of Investigation to expedite the pending criminal cases, and declare December 3rd as a National Day of Mourning for the victims of industrial disasters.
The march attracted media and supporters along the way, but the marchers were deeply disappointed by the Prime Minister’s unwillingness to meet with them when they arrived in Delhi. The reaction: A global hunger strike lasting from mid March-August 2006. Hunger strikers were able to sign up on the ICJB webpage, although they were discouraged from fasting for more than 3 days.
The demands of Bhopali survivors can no longer be ignored.
The ICJB webpage states, “The strike is over, now the politicians must keep their promises.” Given the dedication and persistence of the student groups and non-governmental organizations involved, there is hope for improved corporate accountability and victim compensation in the future.